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23 <br /> 1 Beth Trahos said Hillsborough gets its water from West Fork Eno Reservoir, which is <br /> 2 upstream from where the site drains. She said the same is true for the intakes for Orange <br /> 3 Alamance water system. <br /> 4 Craig Benedict said this project would flow into Seven Mile Creek, which flows into the <br /> 5 Eno River, which flows into the Lake Ben Johnston reservoir. He said this reservoir is relatively <br /> 6 small, but is the intake for the Hillsborough water supply. He said the West Fork of the Eno and <br /> 7 Lake Orange do flow into Eno River, and go downstream and are picked up at Lake Ben <br /> 8 Johnston. He said in between Lake Orange and West Fork of the Eno is Corporation Lake, <br /> 9 which is the intake for the Orange/Alamance water supply. He said it is true that the site does <br /> 10 not flow into Seven Mile Creek, but it does flow into Lake Ben Johnston, which flows into a <br /> 11 water supply. <br /> 12 Jason Harris, with Applicant, explained safeguards against vehicle damage and <br /> 13 corrosive decay. He said he does not know what would happen in an earthquake. He said the <br /> 14 tanks are tested and purposely built to be stronger than the stress that is put on them. He said <br /> 15 there are systems in place to address the more common problems that may arise, such as <br /> 16 piping problems. He said if a fuel alarm sounds at any point, the system shuts down. He said <br /> 17 there may be some release, but not an entire tank rupture. <br /> 18 Chair Price requested more information on water usage, does this site fall within the <br /> 19 typical Buc-ee's range or below. <br /> 20 Kelsey Hall said the numbers are similar to other Buc-ee's. <br /> 21 Chair Price asked if Mebane can meet the water estimates, and is there capacity for the <br /> 22 sewer system in Mebane. <br /> 23 Craig Benedict said this project would use 9-15% of remaining available capacity in <br /> 24 Mebane. He said Orange Alamance water system would also use 15% of available capacity. <br /> 25 He said staff double-checked with partner engineers and County engineers, and these numbers <br /> 26 are found to be credible. <br /> 27 Chair Price asked for clarification about changes to the road system. She clarified that it <br /> 28 is not yet certain that the Federal Highway Commissioner will approve the exit 160/161 or the <br /> 29 Ben Johnston Road recommendations. <br /> 30 Earl Lewellyn said this is a process, and several levels of approval are needed from <br /> 31 NCDOT along the way. He said it is his impression that NCDOT does not see a problem with <br /> 32 granting the changes to Ben Johnston Road plans. He said there have been preliminary <br /> 33 discussions with the Federal Highway System, and they also do not see a problem with <br /> 34 approving the changes related to exit 160. <br /> 35 Michael Harvey clarified that if there are changes to the plans, the Applicant may have to <br /> 36 come back for approval again by the BOCC. He said NCDOT needs some level of approval <br /> 37 from local government before it will do a full review, which may require another approval. He <br /> 38 said the Applicant is aware of this, and it is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. <br /> 39 Commissioner Dorosin said this is a challenging issue. He said he has heard from <br /> 40 opponents and proponents. He said there have been allegations of misrepresentations, which <br /> 41 has been disheartening. He said even the opponents acknowledge that this property will be <br /> 42 developed. He said the amenity the County has to offer is access to the highway, and the <br /> 43 universe of applicants to which this will appeal is not unlimited. He said it is not unreasonable <br /> 44 that a travel plaza would be interested in this land. He said he has tried to categorize concerns <br /> 45 and benefits. He said the primary concerns are traffic, environmental, water issues, and nature <br /> 46 of the use. He said a lot of those issues can be addressed if there is discussion about the scale <br /> 47 of the project. He said this is an enormous project, but some of the issues could be addressed <br /> 48 if there is a willingness on the part of the developer to reduce scale. He said he is curious to <br /> 49 know if the developer would consider downsizing to 60 or 40 pumps. He said a travel plaza is <br /> 50 a reasonable use for the property, but the scale raises issues. He said he is troubled by the <br /> 51 criticism of the jobs, as they are jobs a lot of people will appreciate. He said school custodians <br />